CobainÂ?s Disease

January 25, 2007|Adam Gallippo

This time around IÂ?ve decided to feature one of my favorite films.

Gus Van SantÂ?s Last Days (2005) is a fictional account of the final days leading up to Kurt CobainÂ?s suicide on April 6, 1994. Van Sant, a self proclaimed fan of Cobain, wrote and directed this film and instead of following Cobain we meet a Kurt clone named Blake.

Last Days is an incredibly original film as Cobain himself was highly original. One thing to note is the lack of dialogue present in this film. During these final days, Cobain was very incoherent and mumbled a great deal, according to the Charles R. Cross biography Â?Heavier than Heaven.Â? However, the absence of dialogue puts pressure on the director to create a visual spectacle.

Van Sant does not disappoint in that regard.

For starters there seems to be no three act structure in Last Days. The three act structure remains common practice in most films today. Van Sant created completely unique moments that may have occurred during those last days. This nonlinear, experimental feel not only adds artistic flare, but leaves the audience unsure of what to expect next. You may know some of CobainÂ?s story and the suicidal climax is inevitable, but for an hour-and-a-half youÂ?re at the mercy of Van SantÂ?s imagination.

This film also contains quite a few long takes.

As audience members weÂ?re been conditioned to ignore continuity editing. This seamless editing technique helps advance the narrative without interrupting the story. IÂ?m not saying itÂ?s not noticeable, just that it doesnÂ?t call attention to itself. TodayÂ?s viewer can take in numerous scenes quickly and with ease.

However, when a scene goes on for a long period of time, as a viewer, you start to feel uncomfortable or anxious and the cuts, or lack there of, become apparent. Van Sant does an amazing job of projecting CobainÂ?s anxieties through Blake and passing them on to the audience through long takes. Often youÂ?ll find yourself wondering who will blink first.

If you view this film, pay close attention to the scene in which Blake has a conversation with the Yellow Pages guy and the dolly shot where Blake plays various instruments. In the special features they show Van Sant and his crew creating the dolly shot manually on removable tracks.

Back to Â?CobainÂ?s disease.Â?

There are other ways in which Van Sant portrays the mix of anxiety and depression that plagued Cobain.

Its common knowledge for Cobain fans that Kurt didnÂ?t care for superstardom and felt a great deal of pressure from Â?friendsÂ? seeking money and a piece of his mind. This fact is made evident in Last Days as Blake spends most of his time alone in the film. Blake hides from those same Â?friendsÂ? by wandering and even sleeping in the neighboring woods.

This film would be nothing without the performance of Michael Pitt (Blake). Pitt captures the essence of CobainÂ?s desperation right down to his emotionally raw singing voice.

All-in-all Last Days is an artistic gem to be enjoyed not only by fans of Cobain, but film fans in general. I especially like how Van Sant doesnÂ?t roll a single credit until the end of the film. Most directors want their name to be the first thing you see.